


win at any cost. like seriously any cost

by ivemovedondude



Category: Homestuck
Genre: girlscout fic, kid fic sort of???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 04:57:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3965227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivemovedondude/pseuds/ivemovedondude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>rose lalonde is the best god damn girl scout to ever live. It's just the facts. She was simply born to be the best. and she's not nervous about securing her place at #1 or anything, but she is literally going to strangle the fucker with the glasses selling more cookies than her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	win at any cost. like seriously any cost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darwinning](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darwinning/gifts).



This is the most serious moment in Rose Lalonde's very short 10 years of life.

This little girl, who just _casually strolled_ into Rose's neighborhood, is about a _head_ taller than her. She's got this infuriatingly gorgeous freckled tan skin. Tufts of poofy hair that could choke a man to death. A little dirt colored brownie vest that revealed her to be a fellow girl scout.

She's carrying a clipboard. A pencil. A determined smile. And the most god damned nerve Rose had ever had the horror and intrigue of witnessing.

This usually wouldn't be a big deal. Rose initially never even really cared about girl scouts, honestly, and it's only something she joined to spite her mothers "encouragement." God. “Meet friends,” she said. “ Make some righteous bank,” she also said. She additionally said some other third thing, but she was gurgling it out through large bites of double packed vanilla frosted twinkie so it came out a little like "yourorur ogonng LUV iT, rosie, don't beMMF a TURD!!" She was obviously laughing at her, which was infuriating, but you know what mom jokes on you. Rose joined girl scouts for _real._

It was kind of agonizing at first, what with all the constant interaction and drawn out songy bits about friendship, but pretty soon after she joined she realized something that became critical to her endurance. It was that this organization isn't about aiding the helpless and selling cookies at all. It's definitely, totally, completely all about winning. And Rose? Rose is here to win. At any cost.

And thus she began her reign. She started like any good conqueror would: eliminate the competition and stake your territory. And that's exactly what she did. This neighborhood had been marked down as hers every single year and everybody knew it, and she'd been pretty damn scary about it all. No other girl scout dared to even sort of leisurely stroll by without fearing Rose at least a little.

This tall girl with the bright smile, obviously, was new.

Rose approaches her from the front steps of her house with her fists clenched lightly and an irritated sigh escaping her lips, but still. She's polite. She's civil. She is god damn eloquent. The girl looks up with a goofy grin from her cookie sales sheet and is obviously ignorant to the verbal ass kicking she was about to receive.

“Hi!” The girl chirps out when she sees Rose coming. Dark hair bounces with her head as her eyes connect to Rose's vest in recognition, and she's got these bright blue braces that remind Rose vaguely of John.

Decorating her fingers are dozens of colorful rubber bands and Rose deeply and passionately hates to admit it, but she's actually genuinely adorable. Competitively, a concentration of cute this massive spells disaster, but Rose calmly bites her cheek and takes the plunge.

“You're from my troop! 413, Right?” The girl tucks a curly strand of thick hair neatly behind her ear. Rose eyes her warily, a polite and tight-lipped smile curving into her cheek, but the girl just fucking beams back at her. Like she's some sort of physical ray of sunshine. Disgusting. “I just joined! do you think there's any way you can help me navigate the neighborhoods or--?”

“No,” Rose cuts in without hesitation. “And I apologize, but you will have to leave.”

 

 

The girl frowns back at her, confusion dropping over her grin like a blanket. Rose ignores the slight stabs of guilt when she clears her throat.

“You've entered my territory, after all,” she gestures briefly with one hand over the suburban plains of her land. Her claim. Her little piece of the louisiana purchase of like, girlscouthood I guess.

“Uh..,” The girl shifts her eyes quickly from the neighborhood back to Rose, and stares like she just watched Rose just swallow four crayons and offer a vomity rendition of the mona lisa. She's got so much god damn nerve Rose is drowning in it.  “Your what?” she chokes out at last.

“This neighborhood.” Rose says lightly. “You must be new to how our troop operates, so I'll be lenient, but I've had my claim on it for awhile now. You are actually intruding."

“But my cousin lives literally right over there,” she jerks her hand sharply toward the white house on the left of the oh fucking son of a shit she's John's cousin what the fuck. _John's_ cousin. Rose instantly dives her head into her palm, because, wow. Wow, oh my god. She's got the teeth and everything. No. No fucking way. The girl huffs out her cheeks in faint amusement. “Don't I have automatic rights or something?”

Rose bites at her cheek. There is literally no way she could have possibly seen this coming and she's _really_ fucking good at seeing things coming. It's nothing short of ludicrous. 

And yet, she remains determined. She presses on valiantly because god damn, cookie selling is a war, and this soldier was in it to fucking win it.

“No,” she adjusts her vest ever so sharply. “What's your name?”

The girl laughs as she stretches out her hand. She laughs. She's laughing. “Jade!! Jade Harley,” she giggles lightly and it's like she's a bird chirping on the freshness of spring. Her mere existence sends cold, menacing shivers down Rose's spine. “New to troop 413. I just moved from my island!”

Roses eyes slide down the girl lightly before decisively and firmly returning the grip. “I'm Rose. Rose Lalonde. Don't return.”

They release their hold on each others hands at the same time. There's a tenseness in Rose's stare, but Jade wrinkles her nose in amusement. 

“You're fucking weird, Rose Lalonde,” she laughs, all big and bold. “But hey! Good luck!”

Jade Harley turns on her toes, poofy hair colliding against her back to the smooth rhythm of her footsteps. Rose crosses her arms.

The competition would be difficult this year, it seemed.

 

~ ~ ~

It hasn't even been a week since Rose last saw Jade, but it's not like she's stopped thinking about her. It would be ridiculous to let such a heavy threat slip beneath her notice like it's nothing, after all. But: duty calls, and she must carry on, regardless of any looming cutesy girlish sales threats. So she knocks on John Egberts' door one, two, three times and swallows her breath and does not think about Jade Harley.

She holds her clipboard tightly in her hand, pen at the ready, and John expectantly flings open the door only seconds later donning that bucktoothed grin bigger than god. She didn't want to think about the family resemblance at all, but no, she was definitely thinking about it. She was so, totally thinking about it.

“Rose!!” He laughs as he grips at the door and he's still in his pj's. Yeah. It's the teeth. And the hair. And the poor eyesight, probably. “Man! I almost forgot it was cookie season!”

“I wish I could forget myself, truly.” Rose mutters with breath into her clipboard, but she doesn't have time to jump right to business because John is already waving at her wildly toward his house.

“Actually, you're just in time!” He says enthusiastically. There's a little bounce to his step and everything. Rose slides her clipboard to her side with an amused smile curving into her lips. “Me and Dave are marathonning terrible movies right now. I think he's in the corner crying. Wanna join? You totally wanna join.”

“Aw,” Rose laughs, raising a knowing eyebrow at him before she continues. “I totally do wanna join,” a little tilt of her head. “And I do so love watching Dave cry, but you know what time of the year it is.”

“And you have to win?” John snorts, eyebrows tilting up sympathetically as he leans against the door frame. Rose shrugs happily.

“At any cost.” There's a timely little tap of her pencil to her clipboard as she grins and she sighs as she eyes it. “Well, you know the deal. How many thin mints will it be this year, John?”

And then it happens. He frowns. He sort of hangs his head a little and grits his teeth like he has something terrible to say and fucking shit, god damnit, he quirks his lips to the side and he absolutely does. “You're gonna hate me,” he starts, loosening his grip on the door, and Rose widens her eyes as horrible realization swiftly uppercuts her.

“Oh no,” Rose drops the clipboard to her sides. “Oh, fuck no.”

John grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes tight. “—But, you know, my cousins recently moved here! And, you know, she sort of actually just joined—”

“John, don't finish that sentence,” Rose warns. “Don't finish that sentence and tell me that you're buying from Jade fucking Harley.”

“Yeah,” John takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I'm totally buying from Jade fucking Harley.”

Rose stares. She always counted on John every year to deliver his role as her top cookie enthusiast. This is downright outrageous.

“Oh, don't look at me like that! I'm sorry!” His shoulders hunch upward, but Rose has no pity. She stares onward  with an edge to her eyes like jagged ice and John let's out a little whining noise as he slumps against the door. “Seriously!” He squeezes his eyes shut in repentance. “Noooo, that look is so mean. She's really insistent and her pout is merciless and she has a REALLY ruthless business sense for a ten year old! I'm weak, Rose!”

Disbelief sets cold into her narrowed eyes as she crosses her arms. John manages to choke out a little laugh and shifts his eyes to the side to avoid it.

“Oh, you have ruthless business sense too, Rose, don't feel insecure,” he rolls his eyes. Rose sighs, uncrossing her arms with a tight frown.

“Not enough, clearly,” she mutters. Tugs at her vest loosely. He frowns sympathetically, but she looks up with a faint smile. “Well. I didn't want to do this, but.”

She reaches into the abyss of her pockets and yanks out her secret weapon. Always prepare for the worst, she's certain somebody important said at one time, and she's glad they said it.

“Oh, my,” she holds out the paper sarcastically in front of his eyes and rolls her head back dramatically. She makes sure to keep her voice as dry as paper, but she finds herself breaking into a smile anyway. “Would you look at that. I very suddenly have extra movie tickets to that thing you like, but I can't go. Whatever will I do.” She lifts the back of her hand to press daintily to her forehead like the god damn maiden she is.

“Rose, oh no,” John takes a sharp intake of breath. His eyes are glued squarely on her bribe. “Aw come on, not the thing I like!”

“Oh, yes,” Rose nods, a little wave of the tickets for dramatic effect. “The thing you like. And the tickets are _all yours_  in exchange for your undying loyalty.”

“Aw, no!” John turns toward the door with a pained gasp, wide eyes cast downward in pretend horror. “I cant be pit against my friends like this!”

Rose wiggles her eyebrows. “Are you sure?” she smiles, and John instantly snaps back to her.

“I'm just fucking with you, I'll take it.” He laughs, and within seconds, snatches the tickets into his hands. He stuffs them into his pajama pockets with a bright smile and looks up absolutely chortling. “Twenty boxes, Rose, I want twenty boxes!!!”

Rose marks down his order with a quiet smirk and sudden thoughts of destroying Jade Harley cloud her vision.

~ ~ ~

The weeks were passing successfully. Rose's sales were top fucking notch. Her spirits remained high, even if on the occasion she was somewhat undulated with news of Jade Harley and her shocking rise to power within the cookie industry—I mean, it was actually really ridiculous. Every man, woman, child, and other wanted a piece of whatever hot shit she was selling. Rose suspected foul play. Drugs. Bribery. Or the worst possibility of them all.

That she was genuinely talented at business.

But whatever, it's okay, Rose wasn't afraid. She had been climbing the ranks fairly well, after all. She was relatively on top of things, like she was every year, and even slightly ahead of Jade Harley as her sources tell her. She was confident.

She didn't really realize how bad things truly were until Jade Harley came directly to her house.

It happened before her very presence and she did nothing to even stop it. It was Saturday morning, approximately 9:31 AM. The weather? Bright. Sunny. Almost taunting in it's piercing rays. The doorbell rings exactly twice. Rose yawns exactly once. And in a fierce moment of pitiful weakness, Rose's foolish indulgence in ironically watching Squiddles ultimately became her undoing. She lets Dave answer the door for her, and in but an instant, her reality crumbles.

She hears the distant mumbles of conversation all the way from on the couch but she wasn't paying attention. She didn't even think twice about the amount of time Dave had been gone—recklessness on her part—but she finally realizes something is terribly, terribly wrong when she hears it. A cutesy little laugh that makes her blood run cold. The door shuts before Rose can even properly register the sound.

So when it does register and Dave finally does walks back into the room, Rose can't help but clench her fists.

“I just scored some motherfucking do-si-dos” Dave shouts in the doorway to the living room in a victory stance, hands in the air as if he, in fact, don't care.

Rose snaps up instantly with waterfalls of popcorn dribbling gracefully down her chin. She straightens her back against the sofa, her eyebrows furrowed, and lips parted, and it is so go time. “Alright,” she frowns. “Do-si-dos are disgusting and ungodly. And I usually wouldn't care because I am so far in the lead, but...”

Dave frowns in patient anticipation, but Rose just shrugs. “Curiosity tugs at my gentle heart strings. Who was the girl?” Rose bites her lip. “I mean...What did she look like?”

“Uh,” Dave looks up. He sort of gives this vague shrug that doesn't ease her nerves whatsoever. “Cute, I guess? Black hair. Big glasses. Intimidatingly tall, but kind of in a hot way.”

“Noo,” Rose takes a sharp breath. Her blood runs frosty fucking chill. “Oh, noo." She scrambles to sit up. "No. Firstly, you are ten years old and I don't want to be aware of any attraction you ever hold to anyone ever.” Dave opens his mouth to speak, but Rose instantly shushes him.

“No,” she hisses again, eyes narrowed. “Wow, no. I don't care if you're married with four children. I'm not hearing it, and I'm never hearing it. I don't want this. Second of all, how dare you.”

“Oh, come on, what?” Dave scrunches his nose in amusement, but nothing about this is amusing, Dave, absolutely nothing.

“Beneath my very nose,” Rose shakes her head. 10 years of sibling love and support she had offered him, literally from the womb to the tomb, and this is what's happening to her. Disgraceful.

“Okay Rose,” Dave laughs like this isn't a big deal, but nothing about this isn't a big deal, Dave, absolutely nothing.

“That girl is my _archnemesis_ , Dave.” Rose adjusts herself to dangle over the couch and suddenly hops to her feet. In a second, she smacks Dave's shoulder sharply with a hardened frown. “You bought  _cookies_ from my _top_   _rival._ ”

“How was I supposed to— _ow_ , what the fuck,” Dave squints, rubbing his arm tenderly at the second smack because Rose doesn't fuck the fuck around. She glares.

“You betrayed me,” Rose raises her voice now, feeling the rage boil out of her from the edges of her skin to the tips of her fingers. “For _stale crumby biscuits._ ” She smacks his arm two more times, tiny fists slapping against freckled skin, and Dave whines in weak retaliation. “I mean they weren't even _Samoas_!” she exclaims angrily. “They were _do-si-dos_. Dave, I mean, what am I worth to you here.”

“Oh, come on,” He rolls his eyes under her brutal assault. “When a girl scout is at your door, dude, you buy their god damn cookies. That's just how it is.That's just how god intended it. And Do-si-dos are fucking great."

“No, Dave, they're really not.” Rose halts her flailing attack, but it's like her nerves on fire. “And that girl scout in particular is _off limits_. Unbelievable. My own flesh and blood. After all we've been through.”

“You are literally four years old,” Dave's holding back smiles and snorting as he reaches down to dig through his pockets. “But oh my god, I'll buy more from you. Are you happy?”

“Ugh,” Rose breaths out. She squeezes her temples firmly to soothe her pounding headache, but being real here, you would need a straight up K.O. from Jesus to soothe that shit out. Being a girl scout was really expectantly emotionally taxing. Especially since she didn't even really give a shit about the final prize scooter, which she has three of after winning like every year. At this point, she just wants to be better than Jade. She wants to win. She's has to win.

“It'll do,” she sighs with eyes squeezed shut. “But you're not purchasing any more of those heathen biscuits.”

“I'm doing this as a favor to you from the kindness of my cold dead heart, Rose,” Dave rolls his eyes. “We're buying so much more of those heathen biscuits.”

Rose groans with the disgruntled concentration of five thousand disdainful teens, but still, she accepts the deal gracefully. She flicks off the television and decides that Jade Harley is the biggest threat to the girl scout economy this world has ever seen.

~ ~ ~

About a week and a half before the cookie time officially closes, Rose is finally starting to wind down. She hadn't sent any vaguely threatening sticky notes through John or Dave to Jade in at least a week, mostly because she ran out of sticky notes, but whatever. It still deserved a celebratory visit to John's house obviously.

Rose steps onto the front steps of her best friends vaguely weird, weird clown adorned house and John swings open the door enthusiastically. Instantly. Like usual, except this time it's not so usual. He's grinning, but today it's more of a...nefarious grin. It's that sort of asshole grin he gets when he slips a whoopee cushion under Dave's seat or puts a stupid little water bucket over the doors and Rose doesn't trust it for a second.

“Hi Rose!!” He laughs when he shuts the door behind her and there's a weird undertone to his voice. Like he's hiding something.

“Are you hiding something?” Rose doesn't fuck around. She let's him drag her into the living room and gasps in pretend shock at his immediate silence. “Oh, sweet John, don't tell me you've succumbed to _morality._ Are you rejecting my bribe?”

“No way!” John rolls his eyes, lurching back his hands and crossing his arms. “That bribe is mine, forever.” He looks at her with determination and Rose shifts her head to peer around suspiciously.There doesn't really seem to be anything out of place, but also, John's house is littered with clown figurines, so how can she really judge this to be honest.

“Hm," she looks down with eyebrows raised and the distrust oozes out of her voice like a freshly squished jelly sandwich. She makes no effort to hide it. "Where's Dave?” She starts, a smirk on her lips. She circles her eyes around the halls of the house warily one more time but to no avail. “You told me he's here already?”

“Oh, yeah, he is!” John lights up, stretching his arms out in front of him and looking down and he is so totally hiding something. goddamn. Rose almost wants to just sit him down right there and teach him how to hide a fucking tell, but she sucks in her breath and let's him continue. “But, first, Rose—and this is gonna be weird, bear with me here—you've gotta close your eyes.”

Rose instantly narrows her eyes with amusement and looks him over suspiciously. She crosses her arms.

“Why?” She laughs slowly. “What's this about?”

“Dude, just trust me.” He whines, He leans forward and snatches hold of her hands, and he looks so enthusiastic and ecstatic. It takes her a good minute, but then she decides, ok, fuck it, why not. She sighs, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, with my life, John,” she monotones dryly. Finally, she squeezes her eyes tight, John chortling as he wraps his fingers around her wrist, and a few seconds later Rose feels him yanking her forward.

Their sneakers collide with the wooden floor noisily when they walk. He takes her through at least three hallways and up at least one staircase and he laughs, and she laughs, and you know, everything was going really fucking fine and dandy until suddenly he let's go. Rose is about to ask if they were there, if she should open her eyes or ask if she's getting a pony, but it turns out she doesn't need to do any of that.

Because John screams “ _DAVE NOW,_ ” and with absolutely no fucking warning she feels a sharp, sudden shove at her back.

Her eyes snap wide open as she spins around and suddenly BAM the door is slammed in her face. Before she can even process what the fuck just happened, she hears a _thud_ of something heavy slamming against the door followed by a barrage of terrible ten year old boy laughter.

She tightens her lips, hopelessly tries the doorknob exactly three times, and finally sighs with her head pressed against the cold frame.

“Your pranks are every single reason my trust issues run so deep, John,” she rolls her eyes. Her knuckles drag against the wall heavily to no avail. She thinks this is the guest room?

“That's not true,” Dave's awful voice suddenly breaks through muffled from the other side of the door and Rose has never felt more compulsively murderous in her entire life.  “I cover like, at least half of those reasons.”

“Suck my dick, Dave.” Rose rolls her eyes. Then she hears John laugh from the other side. She doesn't have friends, anymore, she decides.

“I'm sorry Rose!!” John shouts. He can shout all he wants, though, Rose is still going to fill his pillows with bugs tonight. “But you and Jade really have to work out your issues!”

“What?” Rose raises her eyebrows and laughs. Then she stops laughing because then she actually turns around. She tosses her head back and yep okay well there's Jade Fucking Harley, alright. Poofy black hair and happy smiles, leaning casually against the bed. It's like it's Christmas, except in hell.

“Hi!” she chirps at her. She fucking chirps, that's how god damn sunny she is. She's not even wearing a brownie vest or anything—just a little t-shirt with a dorky science joke on it and an absurdly long skirt.

“Hello,” Rose straightens her back coldly. They lock eyes for a solid minute without speaking, Rose sending every chilly vibe she can telepathically down her spine before Jade finally cuts the quiet.

“Oh, calm down!” She puts her hands on her hips. “Don't be a goof with all your competition nonsense!! We're actually going to work together to push through our issues today, I promise!”

“You sold cookies to my brother,” Rose groans and crosses her arms, leaning against the door with a frown. “You may not have done it on purpose, but you're on my shit list, Jade.”

Jade huffs in return, narrowing her eyebrows and Rose lifts a hand to her head delicately to soothe her headache. With a sigh, she slides against the frame of the door. She let's herself fall all the way down to the floor before hugging her knees. It's been an exhausting month.

“Yeah, well, suck it up!!” Jade exclaims. She takes tiny steps toward her, a little frown puffing out her cheeks and suddenly plopping down right beside her. Her skirt flattens against the floor prettily and the sides of her arm slam into Rose's, skin warm to the touch.

Rose hunches her shoulders in disgust. “I didn't ask you to—”

“I did totally sell cookies to your house on purpose,” she chortles and ugh. Ugh. Rose's head is pounding.

“I  _knew_ it,” Rose groans, but Jade's not done laughing. She's all little snorty giggles clacking through big teeth and god Rose hates her so much.

“Okay, I'm sorry!!” She wipes away a few tears and smudges them on her skirt before continuing because she's vile. “I thought it would be funny! And your brother is super cool, and you bribed my cousin, so come on. We're totally even.”

A million barbed comments that Rose could bite with, right here, right now. Wow. She feels her tongue armed at the ready, but for some reason, she doesn't say anything. She just settles for uncrossing her arms. Avoids looking at her for at least a full minute with her eyebrows stitching wrinkles into her forehead and her frown set deep.

Finally, she sighs, and turns over to face her again. “Why are you trying so hard to win this?” She breathes out. “What's...what's even _motivating_ you? ”

Jade laughs like this is all so silly, which, it's totally not at all. Because cookie selling is a war. A fucking war, Jade, come the fuck on. She scrunches up her nose with a smirk. “Well, nothing, really!” She giggles. "I don't care about winning at all!"

Rose can only squint in response. “No,” she tilts her head in confusion. What. “No. You absolutely do.”

“Pfft! Nope!”

“No,” Rose repeats firmly. She goes through every possible god damn reason her mind can possibly conjure and she's coming up blank for every single one. “You're in _second place_ right now. By a hair. I'm _barely_ keeping my ground, here, and I've been performing this ludicrous selling ritual for _years._ You have to care about winning if you are this far.”

“I guess I just can't help my ruthless business prowess, Rose!” Jade blows a raspberry at her and what the fucking fuck. Rose stares and everything is so weird.

“You're so confusing,” Rose breathes out into her knees.  "Your sales are phenomenal. There's no way you would try so hard if there was no pay off for you.”

There's a cruel hesitance in Jade's response time when she looks back at her. She leans against the door with a sort of...contentedness that made Rose's stomach twist, stretching out her fingers in front of her, each and every one covered in little colored rubber bands and it's like she's got all the time in the world.

“Well.” Jade mutters thoughtfully after awhile. “I guess I just wanted to be friends with you.”

The words collide with Rose like a steam roller. She was just being nice? She just wanted to be friends? Rose squints back in a desperate attempt to let this process.

“...I mean, you seemed really silly.” Jade shrugs gently. “And I guess I thought competing with you would be fun. So...I thought maybe this would be a cool way to warm up to you! I guess I didn't realize how seriously you take these sales. Ha. My bad.”

Rose darts her head up, eyes widened as her cheek presses against her knees. This. This sugary asshole.

“That's...” Rose mutters. This isn't how war is supposed to go. You don't just make up at the end of the day and say 'good game,' no, no, there's supposed to be a decapitation or a humiliating treaty signing or something else equally horrid. This was neither of those things.

So she groans and she sinks further into her knobby knees, chubby fingers pressing little dents into her arms, and tries so hard to push down all of these strange new emotions she doesn't want to deal with until they're dead and she can't feel them.

“That's...so _sweet,”_ she spits the word out like it's poison.  Because it is. It's terrible, horrible gut wrenching word poison that Rose never wants to repeat. Her nose wrinkles.  _“_ I was so prepared to sell you into the ground and you're...actually...so...”

The frustration starts to bubble through her throat and into her eyes and it's embarrassing and stupid and terrible, but Jade cuts her off. She flings her arms wildly with a bright grin.

“But its ok!!” She shouts, and her eyes light up like little stars. “Outselling you is so fun!! I had a blast trying to tear you down!”

Rose looks up with eyebrows furrowed and you know, Jade is a little like a sun. She's all teeth and bright rays and piercing warmth that settles into your skin. It hits her without warning, and before she knows it, Rose breaks into a subtle smile. Within seconds she's breaking into gurgles of unexpected laughter. The sound bursts through her throat and pretty damn soon she has her face hiding in her arms as she let the giggles pour out of her.

“Oh, you confuse me,” she breathes when her bout settles. She has to wipe tears out of her eyes, but it's not as embarrassing as she thought it would be. Because Jades not staring, she's just laughing, and Rose feels...something dangerously close to affection. She sighs.

“I'm glad it's ending like this,” Rose nudges her shoulder lightly. “To be perfectly honest, I don't even want a scooter. I never did.”

“Well, you don't have to win a scooter, anyway!” Jade smirks. “Why would you want to win that dumb old thing when you can win.....at friendship!!! With me!!!”

Jade thrusts out her hand for Rose to take, all toothy smiles that would melt the thickest of glaciers and Rose breaks into a grin that doesn't stop. She can't help it. She looks...she looks so ridiculously genuine and it's the rawest form of emotion Rose has ever experienced. She throws her head back when she laughs, something full and noisy that she's been holding back for a long time, and pushes out her hand to grip Jades in return.

“Alright, Jade Harley,” Rose hums softly, locking eyes with Jade hesitantly. “I'll win at friendship.”

Jade beams and instantly yanks her in for a hug that must have last literal centuries. When she pulls away it's like she's almost _bouncing_ with joy. She launches to her feet at lightning speed in one swift motion, offering her hand to help Rose up when she's finally standing and stable.

Rose takes it wholeheartedly and it's fucking weird. She's smiling, and I mean really, truly smiling. And when Jade Harley finally yanks her to her feet, she thinks victory has never felt so genuine.

 

 


End file.
